وَأَلزَمتُهُ حُكمَ الهَوى فَاِلتَقى بِهِ

وَبي أَلِفٌ عِندَ العِناقِ وَلامُ

And I bound him to the rule of passion, so he met with it

While between us there are a thousand intimacies and conjunctions

وَبِتنا خَليطَي ضَمَّةٍ وَاِعتِناقَةٍ

كَما خالَطَت ماءَ الغَمامِ مُدامُ

And we spent together a mixture of meeting and embracing

As water of clouds mixed with wine

تَشُفُّ بِيَ الشَكوى إِلَيهِ وَتَرتَقي

وَأَسهَرُ فيهِ لَوعَةً وَيَنامُ

My complaints rise to him and climb

While I stay up for him in agony and he sleeps

وَأَستَكتِمُ الشِعرَ اِسمَهُ خَوفَ كاشِحٍ

فَبَيني وَبَينَ الشِعرِ فيهِ ذِمامُ

And I conceal the name of the poetry from him, fearing a slanderer

So between me and poetry for him is a bridle

فَلا أُنسَ إِلّا في عُيونِ قَصائِدٍ

تُنَبِّهُ بِالإِنشادِ وَهيَ نِيامُ

So I am not comforted except in the eyes of poems

That alert me to recite while asleep

وَلَم يَطوِ شِعرٌ قَبلَهُ مِن سَريرَةٍ

وَلَكِن أَشعارَ الكِرامِ كِرامُ

And no poetry before it flowed from a secret

But the poetry of the generous is generous